A few years ago a friend of mine, an audio manufacturer in Europe, in response to my Macondo Mini-Me project told me that my Macondo Mini-Me speakers were crap but the name I come up with for my Pilot acoustic system was ingenious. Well, he was not necessarily wrong…

A few years back a local audio friend Don stopped by at my place. We were dirking good scotch; smoked good cigars, listening rood records, spoke about music, audio and life. One of the subjects of our conversation was another audio friend of mine who was kind of in the end of his life and who was staggering to get rid, sell, or give away his audio possessions, or at least to find anybody after he gone who would have any appreciation of his life-long interest in sound. Don asked me what I would like to happened with Macondo, Milqs and the rest of it after I am gone. I responded that I have no particular fantasies about the subject and I do accept as a given that everything would go to junk. I added that it for sure will be more fun if somebody would be still benefited by the accomplished experiences. Then Don told me something interesting. He said: "You know Romy, if you have a son then he might develop an interest in audio and after you gone he will be very much benefited with what you have done?" I never thought this way before and what Don advised was unexpectedly lucid.

In couple years Amy and Me were working full-time on our new Mini-Me projects and after 3 years of research and development, experimenting, discovering painful failures and inspiring hopes we ended up with a successful operational full-functional Mini-Me.

Today, November 13, we welcome to our family Thomas David Bessnow. Baby and mom do fine, thankfully to Brigham and Women's Hospital of Boston. Upon birth Thomas advised to the delivery personal what wrong they did, I guess this baby would not need any paternity testing….

As to whether your son will develop an interest in Macondo and all the rest of your audio, I can offer only one data point, as to how my own son has reacted to all my (much more modest) audio adventures. In short, he takes very little interest in all the technology, and none in owning any tubes, tonearms, turntable feet or room acoustic gizmos himself. However he does know how to operate the installation (with no accidents or damage) and does use it occasionally (he is at college now and so has limited opportunity.) He has made a few perceptive comments over the years when I did something to improve or at least change the Sound. And he did have the interest to learn to play violin well enough to be in his HS orchestra, though he is not playing now. If my son is ever going to develop an interest in non-casual home playback, I wouldn't expect it for a long time (until he is in his 40s, maybe.)

So, I think some good things will come out of the exposure to the listening culture and ways of thinking about it, but an exact replication of your interests is not likely. If you want him to be able to set up and maintain the installation in the future, then it might be smart to write up a VERY detailed operating manual, as learning by direct apprenticeship will probably not happen while he is still living at home.

Though it might be hard for a given audio nut to believe, for some of us, family comes first. My children grew up with reproduced Music, and they spent their entire lives "watching out" for hot tubes, TTs and cables, yet neither "child" developed one whit of interest in hi-fi. And this concerns me not at all. No doubt you will discover that the child you raise will grow into his own identity, and this might or might not include audio. Of course, if he does care about audio, he will have a leg up when you turn over your gear!

JJ and the rest of guys. I am a bit surprised with your
reaction to the audio portion of this thread. I hope people read my site for
long enough to recognize strategically placed satire which the whole Mocondo inheritance
section was. The events depicted in my post did take place but I hope everyone understand
that Amy’s and my interests to have a baby has no relation with our objective
of somebody after us gone to polish those cable elevators. I was trying to make the post
about Thomas and comply with the tradition of this site: to be about audio,
well apparently I overdone myself…

Honestly we never had any plans relater Thomas and audio.
When you are trying for a baby you pray it to have 2 feet, one head and 2 hands. We
did that and now we just two exhausted mamzies to have nothing in minds beside
hoping that he is breathing, eating and pooping properly.

I am sure it will be more talk about Thomas and Macondo
integration, exposing music to him in one way or another but it will be later. For
now I am living in hospital and all my enrolment in audio was playing Goldberg
Variations over Bose radio in Amy’s room…

PS: Thomas’ cry sounds delightful to my ears. It kind of different
from other kids I heard, it reminds me the Amy’s voice and I love her voice….

Very glad to hear that mother and baby are doing well. I never would have guessed when I first joined this Forum that Romy would end up as the normative family man within a few years. Remember that Thomas can hear higher frequencies so you may have to adjust the spectral balance of the system a bit. Again all the best to the Bessnows.

Remember that Thomas can
hear higher frequencies so you may have to adjust the spectral balance of the
system a bit.

Well, I am not there yet but I did detect that kids do hear differently
when friend with kids were coming and we playing to them my listening room.
What I detected that they are much more sensitive to volumes then adults are.
Still, it has no practical different for us as at this point as Thomas'
listening habit is a least of our concerns.

I was listening this morning the Bavarian Radio Symphony touring
Taiwan played Dvorák and Mussorgsky a few days back and once again I was stricken how much
I love the Bydlo from the Mussorgsky 's Picture.

That is one of my most beloved pieces of music and I am only
sad that this gem is such a short work. Could you believe bow much fun would be
if it would go for 20 minutes!!!! It is not that Bavarians played it too well but
it juts aroused in me some and memories…

I frequently play with Kitty my games of musical association.
When she exposed to something and feel something that I find interesting I frequently
as her what piece of music or what interpretation her current sensation are associable
at the given time. A bit over month ago Amy was walking with a belly the size of
Hindenburg and I ask her what music would depict her feeling how. She said that
it was the opening of Mussorgsky 's Bydlo! Good how not love this gorgeous
creature!